Smallville: Season Eleven #26

Haunted Part Two

Writer Bryan Q. Miller
Art Jorge Jimenez
Colors Carrie Strachan
Lettering Saida Temofonte
Cover Art Cat Staggs
Assistant Editor Sarah Gaydos
Editor Jim Chadwick
Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

There are a couple of drawbacks with the weekly digital-first comics. One is the repetition of covers. Instead of commissioning a new cover for each issue, DC decided to reuse the same cover for a couple of issues, which would then be compiled into one average-sized print comic. That's fine for print readers (although the numbering does get messed up), but the digital readers get bored seeing the same cover over and over again. Another big drawback is that DC created these comics under the assumption that these comics would be read exclusively on smartphones tilted sideways. So every single page and panel is designed in landscape. But that's not how I read my comics. I use a tablet and like to view one page at a time in portrait mode — just as if I was reading a book. So going through this series is a minor inconvenience for me. And the DC Universe app automatically cuts the covers down to this landscape shape.

After the incredibly quick and easy defeat of Psimon, Impulse and Superman decide to spend some time catching up by running across the ocean. Bart mocks Clark for not being able to keep up, and Clark admits he's been focusing more on flying than running lately. So he suggests they have a race where he's allowed to fly and the loser has to buy lunch.

The two heroes blow through Cameroon, Africa, before coming to a stop in Mumbai, India. Superman briefly thinks he arrived there first, until he sees Impulse in the middle of a soccer game with some local boys. Bart smugly says, "Last name? 'Ever.' First name? 'Fastest.'"

 Later, Superman tells Impulse that he basically can't go back home right now without risking exposing his secret identity to Lex Luthor. He recently got hit with a dose of radiation poisoning, but luckily S.T.A.R. Labs tells him sunlight is chipping away at the radiation's half-life. Bart suggests camping out inside the sun until the radiation's completely gone, but Clark says Emil Hamilton worries that such an action would turn him into raw energy. Bart admits he's not informed enough to weigh in on the subject, so he tactfully stops giving advice.

Clark then asks Bart why he suddenly showed up in Metropolis for the first time in years. Bart simply says he couldn't resist seeing Clark Kent in tights and a cape. He then recalls their first meeting way back when, and calls Clark the closest thing to family he has. Clark says Bart was the first super-powered person he met who hadn't been infected by a meteor, which helped him not feel so alone. And the two young men vocalize their love for each other.

This tender moment is interrupted by a call from the Watchtower. There's a situation in Paris, and since they don't have a Watchtower agent in Europe yet, Superman and Impulse are the closest to help. Clark receives the details on a shield-shaped data pad, which tells him the "situation" in Paris is merely some art thieves.

Despite the low-key nature of this distress call, the two heroes decide to go help out. However, they do use this trip to Paris as an excuse for another race, this time with the loser buying a baguette. Bart gives Clark a head start this time, but before he starts running, he hears a dark voice calling his name. Bart ignores this voice, acting as if he's heard it before, and chases after Clark into the sunset.




I was initially confused as to why Impulse didn't look like Kyle Gallner. But this issue showed a flashback that looked just like him. So we're supposed to assume this is Gallner, for all intents and purposes, just with really short bleached hair. It's not a good look. At least this issue also clearly showed he's not wearing regular jeans (another incorrect assumption I made last time).

I actually liked this issue. Yes, I'm sad that Psimon, once a world-destroying powerhouse in the '90s, was defeated with such little fanfare. But Bart's arrival is intriguing. He's clearly dealing with something dark and sinister, and wants Clark's help, but is unable to work up the courage to talk about it. The quick flashback also reminded me of an annoying cost-saving element of the episode "Run" — the off-screen trip to Miami. In the comic, we actually got to see Clark and Bart run to India, and that makes a big difference.

Next time, we'll wrap up the year 2012 with issue #27.